


Sports Festival: Plus Ultra

by L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n



Series: Marvel Hero Academia [18]
Category: Captain Britain and MI: 13, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Matches, Don't copy to another site, Midoriya Izuku vs. Shiozaki Ibara, Midoriya Izuku vs. Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku vs. Tokoyami Fumikage, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Sports Festival Arc (My Hero Academia), Todoroki Shouto is a Dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n/pseuds/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n
Summary: In which Midoriya Izuku proves his worth as a person and a Hero.
Relationships: Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Kaminari Denki & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Shiozaki Ibara, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku & Tokoyami Fumikage, Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku & Yaoyorozu Momo
Series: Marvel Hero Academia [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686835
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Sports Festival: Plus Ultra

Sports Festival: Plus Ultra

**Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi**

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku clenched his fists, looking at the back of his right hand. Apparently, the remnants of One for All's past users caused the electricity he summoned with his inherited Quirk to burn him and break Shinso Hitoshi's mind control Quirk's hold over him. Or, he psyched himself up with the thought of being the latest chain in such a noble legacy. Or…whatever the hell happened. He hoped he was just tricking himself. Because if he wasn't, then that would mean that he has at least one woman—Toshinori's _mother_ , by all accounts—inside him and—

"Midoriya?"

Izuku jerked back, turning to face Kaminari, Iida, and Uraraka "W-What?"

"You've gotten all red," Iida said.

"Are you alright?" Uraraka leaned forward, "Do you need to go back to the nurse?"

The close proximity to a girl quickly reminded Izuku of his previous predicament. His heart leapt up to his throat, but he managed to shake his head and say, "I-I'm fine! Just…thinking about…my match." Wasn't a total lie.

Kaminari shivered, "I know what you mean. Brainwashing, blech! Talk about your evil powers."

Iida nodded, "It is an unfortunate ability for an aspiring Hero. The potential for abuse is…terrifying to comprehend."

Izuku narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Yes, Shinso's Quirk was capable of being used for immoral reasons. But…Kacchan used his explosions ( _explosions_!) to terrorize people when they were kids. Up until they entered U.A., even. And as for it being an 'evil' power, well, Izuku could use One for All to break the support beams of a skyscraper and sent it—and anyone inside—crumbling to the ground. Kaminari could use his Quirk to torture people with repeated shocks. Iida could grab onto someone and use his jets to splatter them against a wall.

Powers weren't evil; people were evil.

"You guys—"

"Hey!" Someone down the row shouted, "the match is starting!"

Izuku let out a huff as his friends turned away to look at the field, but decided to do the same, and push his (well-thought out, if he said so himself) argument to the back of his mind. They had more important things to worry about than the ethics of superpowers.

He saw Todoroki Shoto and Hanta Sero stare each other down on the field. The latter wore a calm grin on his face, and the former…the former's face was a blank mask.

Izuku couldn't help but think of the last conversation his had with the heterochromatic boy.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku tilted his head at Todoroki, who was staring down at his left arm, lips curled into a deep frown. "Um…"

"I didn't hurt you," Todoroki's face shot up, a grimace overtaking his features, "did I?"

Izuku blinked, "N-No! No, I'm fine."

A weight lifted off his classmates' shoulder, "Good, good…When I faced you I…I got a very peculiar feeling, almost like…" he shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

Izuku pursed his lips, drumming his fingers along his legs. "Sure…but I gotta say, I didn't know you could use fire. I mean, I suppose it makes sense—you do have a duality thing going on. You can also melt your ice, which isn't something a lot of ice-powered people can do. At most they can break it apart into tinier pieces that melt a lot faster than a giant one, but you're able to shrink you ice formations down to nothing. Also—"

"Stop that," Todoroki bluntly cut in.

Izuku flinched, a sheepish smile forming on his face, "Er, right. But, uh, _why_ don't you use your fire?" He immediately regretted his question, given the glare the other boy sent his way. "Er…Y-You don't—"

"No, it's fine," Todoroki bit out, "you did ask." He looked down at his left arm again, his glare vanishing, a sad frown taking its place. "Those flames…I inherited them from my father." That made sense, in a way. Quirk-genes, as opposed to X-genes, were much more reliably inherited from parent-to-child.

"But," pain flashed across his face, and he shook his head, "I…I can't use those flames. Because…those flames…my father's flames…they killed my brother."

"WHAT?!" Izuku shouted, before clamping a hand over his mouth. He darted his eyes around, and when no one appeared, he lifted his hand, "E-E-E-Endeavor k-k-k-killed…" he trailed off, eyes widening in horror. He knew the man was a little rough around the edges but…

"No!" Todoroki exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief, "What are you—no! Father didn't—" he shook his head, grumbling, "no. My brother, Toya…he had fire powers as well. And he…" Todoroki took a shuddering breath, "he burned himself to death, years ago."

"Oh…" Izuku gasped. Well, now he felt awkward and scared for an entirely different reason. He wet his lips, "S-Should you be telling me this? It seems very…personal and—"

A bitter chuckle cut him off, "Don't see why not—everyone else knows." Izuku didn't. And he was certain that Endeavor's child accidentally killing himself would be common knowledge, but he had the feeling that Todoroki was speaking from a more…personal place. The bicolored boy shook his head, "In any case, I…I can't use my father's flames. It's…It's far too dangerous." Izuku pursed his lips. Fire powers were certainly some of the more destructive out there, but Todoroki was a responsible person, he believed. And he already had decent control over heating things, if his ability to melt ice was any indication. "No," he returned his attention to Todoroki, who fixed him with a stern glare, "my ice is all I need."

/+/+/+/+/

"What's he up to?" Kaminari's words brought Izuku back to the present. He focused back on the match, frowning at the sight of Todoroki wrapped up in Sero's tape. Odd, their classmate should have been quick enough to avoid it.

And then Todoroki's right arm started to frost, and Izuku realized what he was doing. "An intimidation tactic," he said, "he's going to freeze Sero's tape, show that he can't do anything to hurt him."

"Makes sense," Iida murmured. And like Izuku predicted, icicles formed on Todoroki's arm, cutting through the tape as they grew and grew and grew and grew.

"Get down!" Izuku shouted, falling backwards as a glacier formed before them, almost blocking out the sun when it stopped growing. Dimly, Izuku heard Ms. Midnight call the match in Todoroki's favor, after which the glacier melted out of sight.

Izuku climbed up the railing, watching wide-eyed as Todoroki calmly walked out of the field, a wet and shivering Sero stumbling away. Izuku knew he should have felt more for Sero, but watching Todoroki, the slump in his posture, the pain in his eye, he couldn't help but feel that he was in a worse state. "W-W-Well," Kaminari gulped, breaking him from his musings " _I'm_ certainly intimidated."

/+/+/+/+/

"Man!" Kaminari laughed as Iida walked out of the field following his 'victory', "I know I should feel bad for him, but god did I need that!" Izuku grinned; his loss to Shiozaki Ibara of Class 1-B _was_ pretty bad. Between that and Iida's match-turned-showcase, there'd be plenty of embarrassment to go around.

Iida didn't return to the Stands—probably too mortified, Izuku reasoned—and the matches continued. Ashido Mina vs. Aoyama Yuga was a fairly riveting affair, and Izuku had to admit he was surprised to see Ashido win.

But it was the sixth match, Tokoyami Fumikage vs. Yaoyorozu Momo, that really caught his attention.

"Fuck," Kaminari winced as Tokoyami was declared the winner, "that was _brutal_."

"Yeah…" Izuku trailed off. Yaoyorozu didn't stand a chance. Her Quirk—the ability to make almost anything she could think of from the fat stored in her body—was incredibly versatile. But in the face of a sustained, fat-paced assault where she barely had time to breath—let alone think—it proved less than useful. She was too slow, too—indecisive—to put up a decent fight against Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. At least Kaminari's defeat had been comically mismatched.

Tokoyami exited the field with the grave grace he'd repeatedly shown himself to have. But Yaoyorzu…she had a perfectly blank look on her face. But it was a look Izuku was intimately familiar with—he'd seen it in the mirror almost every day for a decade.

He didn't want her to wear that look. He didn't want _anyone_ to wear that look.

"Hey," he said, "I'm gonna head down."

"Hm?" Kaminari cocked a brow, before grimacing, "Oh, Uraraka's up soon right? Against Bakugo? Wish her luck for me."

Izuku nodded, not wanting to correct his friend (though he'd meet up with Uraraka too).

It was a rather uneventful trip down to the waiting rooms. The only time he felt nervous was when he ran into Kacchan, but the blonde just sneered and headed for the bathroom.

He found Yaoyorozu leaning outside one of the waiting rooms. She wasn't crying (which he thanked god for, because this would be awkward enough without tears) but she was looking down, eyes dull with sadness.

Izuku cleared his throat.

She startled, affecting a cool façade—which seemed to grow colder upon realizing that he was in front of her. "Ah, Midoriya," she said, voice devoid of emotion, "Uraraka and Iida are a couple doors down."

"Uh…thanks," Izuku nodded, but didn't move.

Anger flitted across her features, "What?"

"Uh…" Izuku stammered; this went a lot better in his head. What should he do, say 'Sorry'? No, no that wouldn't work. 'Sorry' didn't take the pain away. Then, it hit him.

He licked his lips, clenching and unclenching his hands before saying, "You're going to be okay." Yaoyorozu stilled, then narrowed her eyes at him. "You're in a…a bad place, right now, but you're fine. You'll _be_ fine."

Yaoyorozu grit her teeth, before scoffing and turning her head, "What would you know? You _won_ your match!"

Izuku shrugged, "Yeah. But I'm not talking about the match, I'm talking about feeling worthless."

She sneered, looking at him through the corners of her eyes, "Again, what wou—"

Izuku cut her off, "Until a few months ago, I didn't know I had a Quirk, or any powers."

His classmate blinked, facing him with raised brows, "What? That bit of gossip is _true_?"

Izuku nodded; truer than anyone could ever know. He clasped his hands in front of him, twiddling his thumbs and blushing under her scrutiny, "S-So I get it, you know? You're in a bad place right now, and things are looking bleak but…" he smiled, remembering that fateful day he met Toshinori and his life irrevocably changed, "…but things will always get better. Even…Even when you think they won't." He nodded, looking up at her, eyes resolute, "Even when you know they won't."

Yaoyorozu stared at him. Stared at him long enough for him to blush and fidget. But then, she gained some color on her cheeks, and coughed into her hand, "Thank you, Midoriya," she whispered, "for your kind words."

He beamed at that. "You're welcome!" He lookrd past her, smile dimming somewhat, "Um…are you okay now? Because I did want to meet Uraraka and Iida, but if you still—"

"I will be fine," she cut him off, a soft smile on her face and little bit of life in her eyes. Midoriya nodded, heading on his way.

/+/+/+/+/

Uraraka let out a sigh as Izuku and Iida went up to her in the waiting room—thankfully, her loss against Bakugo didn't result in too many injuries. For a brief second, he thought he could see that same dead look in her eyes he'd seen in Yaoyorozu. He waited until Iida left before asking about it, though.

"Uraraka," he began as he lingered by the door.

But before he could say anything else, she beamed at him, scratching the back of her head, "Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Deku! I'm fine!" She pumped her fists in the air, "Give Todoroki hell for me!"

Izuku studied her face for a moment, but when he saw nothing but warmth, he pushed aside his initial fears, and smiled back.

/+/+/+/+/

"Ah, watch it!"

Izuku turned at the voice, only to be bowled over by it. He fell on his butt, but the mystery voice—which belonged to a man with white hair—slammed shoulder-first into a wall.

"Oh," Izuku shot up, "are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," the man winced, rubbing his elbow, "mostly."

"H-Hold on!" Izuku said, "I'll get some help!"

"No, I'm cool," he grinned, "literally." Before Izuku could ask further questions, the mystery man held out his injured arm. He blew on it, and to Izuku's surprise, a layer of frost formed over his arm, forming a clear cast of ice over it. "See!" the man grinned, holding up the arm, "I'm fine." He blinked, and Izuku could see that his eyes were a familiar shade of gray, "Hey, you're that kid that's supposed to fight Shoto!"

Izuku nodded, "Yeah. Are you…family?"

The man smirked, "I'm his brother. You can call me Natsuo." Izuku didn't know that Todoroki has a second brother—of course, aside from his father, Izuku didn't really know much about Todoroki's family. "Hey," Izuku turned his attention back to Todoroki's brother, who was frowning, "back in the second event Shoto…he used his flames on you, right?"

Izuku nodded with a grimace, "Yeah he…said it was an accident."

Natsuo clicked his tongue, "Yeah, that makes sense, Mom and Dad said—well, what they didn't say…" he trailed off, shaking his head and offering Izuku a smile and a wave, "Anyway, nice meeting you."

Izuku reciprocated the gesture. Before Natsuo left, however, Izuku asked, "How come you and Todoroki have both ice and fire powers? That seems pretty opposite to Endeavor's move set." It was possible for Quirks to mutate from parent-to-child, but such instances were rare, and to show up in multiple children even rarer (he would have said impossible, but Izuku was _gifted_ a Quirk, so nothing was truly impossible anymore).

Natsuo shrugged, "Our mom. And I only have ice powers. Shoto's the only one to get the best of both of our parents—lucky duck."

Izuku looked down. His mother? He got his father's flames and his mother's ice? No…he called it _his_ ice. Only the fire was explicitly his father's, but his ice—which he also got from a parent—was his. Why? Well, probably because his other brother burned himself to death via their shared fire powers. But…ice could be just as dangerous. _Any_ power could be dangerous. It was terrible what happened to his brother but…it could happen to anyone. Hell, Izuku did it himself back during the entrance exam (he was under no delusions that he, at the very least, would have been crippled for life is Recovery Girl hadn't healed him).

"Wah!" Izuku jerked back, shaking out of his musings to see Natsuo clutching his head with his free hand, "What am I doing?! I'm supposed to be getting snacks!" He turned on his heel, rushing away, "Good luck in your match, but don't take it personally when I say I hope Shoto crushes you!

Izuku smirked at the declaration, before setting his mouth into a thin line. He had a match to win. And, maybe, someone to help.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku couldn't help but note that Todoroki was more…conflicted than usual. His face rapidly shifted between a melancholy frown and a bitter sneer. Izuku bit his bottom lip—his self-appointed task might be harder than he had realized.

The question was, how to do it? He didn't want to just blurt out the Todoroki family's personal business for everyone to hear. But if he waited until after the match, well, if he won, Todoroki might be too bitter about the loss to listen. If he lost—well, Izuku didn't plan on losing.

Ms. Midnight started the countdown to the match. Izuku took a deep breath, raising his arms and clenching his hands into fists. He reached out to One for All but didn't call it out yet. He'd gotten better at it since he first gained his Quirk. He still couldn't use all of it at once—twelve percent at most before he started to hurt—but it would be enough to get him through this. Shoto, meanwhile, managed to get ahold of his emotions, fixing Izuku with a cool glare.

"Begin!" Ms. Midgnight shouted.

Shoto acted first sweeping his right arm forward, icicles sprouting out of the ground.

Izuku summoned One for All—eight percent of it—leaping into the air to avoid the rapidly approaching ice. "Smash!" he cried as he slammed his left fist downward, splintering the ice and cracking the field. An icicle fell down beside him, which he picked up and hurled at Todoroki, point first.

The bicolored boy cursed, dodging under the projectile and stomping his right foot on the ground, more ice spikes forming.

Izuku leapt into the air once more. " _So, he can't melt broken ice_ ," he mused. He slammed into the ground once more, breaking apart more ice, grabbing a handful and chucking shards at him.

Shoto was forced on the defensive, dodging the ice and shooting more icicles Izuku's way. They played this very deadly game of catch for a good while, neither gaining an edge. Present Mic and Aizawa made some commentary on them—but Izuku ignored them in favor of the fight.

Until Shoto's left arm lit on fire.

The young man gasped, pulling his arm back as his eyes widened in fear. That fear was quickly replaced with rage—at himself for losing control, perhaps even at Izuku for making him lose control. He let loose a short roar, frost covering the right half of his body as he slammed his right foot on the ground, ice rushing up around them.

Izuku leapt into the air once more, only to gasp as the ice rose higher than he'd thought, catching him in the air and slowly encasing him. Izuku flailed as thick ice rapidly covered his body. He started to shiver and realized that Todoroki was looking to entomb him and force Ms. Midnight to call the match.

That _wasn't_ going to happen.

He grit his teeth, calling on more of One for All's power. His muscles started to tremble when he hit fifteen percent, and his bones ached past twenty-five.

The ice had climbed up to his neck by the time he hit fifty—his heart screaming at him—and he decided it was now or never. With a harsh cry, "SMASH!" he flexed his body, breaking the ice around him.

He fell down to the ground, trembling as he lowered One for All to more tolerable levels—and then, shivering from the cold, he increased the level to a bit above his norm for the extra heat. He rose to his feet, noting that he and Shoto were encased in a giant, hollow, glacier. Izuku could see the blurry forms of the people in the stands, and realized that he couldn't hear Present Mic. Hopefully, they wouldn't be able to hear them.

Finally, he turned to Todoroki, who was glaring at Izuku, holding his left arm behind him.

Izuku took the chance given to him. "You're a hypocrite!"

Todoroki blinked, taking a step back. "I'm a wha—"

"You say that you don't want to hurt someone with your fire, like your brother," now Todoroki looked murderous, "well you just tried to turn me into a popsicle!"

"It's different!" Todoroki shouted, another layer of ice forming around him.

"Is it? They're still your powers—what makes them better than your fire?"

"My father's flames—!"

"Isn't it your mother's ice? Again, what makes them different?" Todoroki jerked back, as if struck.

Izuku sighed, clenching his fists, "Todoroki…what happened to your brother was tragic. There's no denying that," Todoroki sucked in a breath, nostrils flaring. "But you can't let fear hold you back. Your brother burned himself," Todoroki flinched, "but those were _his_ flames. Not your father's, and not yours. Your father's flames are _his_ own, your flames are _your_ own! They can hurt people, yes, but no more than _any_ other power." Izuku pressed a hand over his chest, "I almost killed myself during the _Entrance Exams_ with my Quirk!" Todoroki's eyes widened in shock (and Izuku was seriously considering having a sit-down with his classmates and sorting out all the rumors about him). "But I didn't let that stop me! My Quirk is dangerous, like yours, but I don't let it hold me back! I'm learning how to better use it to become the best Hero—the best _person_ —I can be! Why can't you do the same?!" Izuku was left panting after his speech, staring down Todoroki.

The young man himself had screwed his eyes shut, fists clenched and arms shaking. Then, he stopped. And he lifted his head and laughed. Not a bitter or cold one either; a genuine, relieved laugh.

He finished with a sigh, looking back at Izuku with a smile, "Midoriya…you're a weird guy."

And the left half of his body burst into flames.

Izuku took a step back as fire overtook his vision, steam rising from the ice.

Then, like someone flipped a switch, the fire vanished, and he and Todoroki were standing in an ice-free field.

He could idly hear Present Mic make some sort of comment, but he ignored it in favor of smiling at Todoroki, who was smiling back.

Todoroki stomped his right foot on the ground, but instead of icicles, he just formed a long platform of ice. He hopped on it, and Izuku cursed, darting out of the way as Shoto used his flames to propel himself forward like a rocket, aiming a knee for Izuku's face.

The inheritor of One for All whirled around just in time to see Shoto land on another patch of ice, spinning like a ballerina before coming to a stop, a pleased smile on his face—like he was having fun for the first time in years.

Izuku was proud that he'd brought such a smile on his classmate's face. But not so proud that he was about to end the match in his favor.

He dropped down, sinking his hands into the concrete below him. With a gruff, "SMASH!" he tore the concrete up, throwing chunks of it at Todoroki. He narrowed his eyes, sliding on the ice to avoid the rubble.

He was unable to avoid Izuku ramming into him, throwing him down to the ground.

They fell onto the ice with harsh grunts. Izuku punched the ice, breaking it apart and preventing Todoroki from further manipulating it.

But Todoroki just smirked, slamming his left hand on the ground and covering the ground in fire. Izuku leapt up, only to curse as his vision was blocked by steam.

He saw a flash of orange to his left.

Izuku bit back a curse, raising his arms and blocking a flame-boosted knee from smashing into his stomach. He wasn't able to keep Todoroki's (non-enflamed) fist from slamming into his face.

Izuku gasped, reaching out and grabbing Todoroki as they fell to the ground. He twisted in the air, holding Todoroki's arm behind him as he used the other boy as a buffer.

Too late did he realize that he'd grabbed his _left_ arm.

Izuku was mature enough to admit he let out a rather unmanly yelp upon seeing that his jacket sleeve was set on fire, letting Todoroki go and crashing to the ground, frantically patting down the fire.

He put it out just in time to see several blasts of fire rocket towards him.

He burst into action, pushing off the ground and dodging the attacks. Todoroki had set himself up on a tall pillar of ice. Izuku narrowed his eyes—the bicolored boy had to know that Izuku could knock it down. Which meant he was expecting Izuku to either leap up at him or throw more rubble at him.

So, he did both.

He felt a fierce sort of joy at the startled look on Todoroki's face when he leapt into the air holding a piece of concrete as large as both of them combined. He hurled the rubble down—not at Todoroki, but at the ice pillar, angling his decent so that he would ram into his opponent as he leapt out of danger.

But Todoroki wore a fierce grin as he rocketed into the air to meet him, forming a large ice staff from his right hand.

Izuku gasped, bringing his hands down to catch the ice rod. He did, but his hands were quickly frozen to it. He broke free quickly enough, but was unable to dodge Todoroki's next strike, which came when he rocketed along the pole and slammed his knee into Izuku's face.

The last thing Izuku saw before he blacked out was the look of pride and freedom on Todoroki's face. Not a bad thing to close out on, in his opinion.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku awoke with a start, heart racing.

"Easy my boy!" Izuku turned to see Toshinori—in his thin form, making his garish pinstripe suit look even more ridiculous—sitting down in a chair. It was then that he saw that he was in the recovery room. And then the memories came rushing back.

He sighed, looking down at his hands. He was happy to help out Todoroki but…he would've been happy to win too.

"Hey," Toshinori reached over, rubbing his shoulder, "Don't look so down! You gave it your all! I'm proud of you!" Izuku blushed and was unable to keep the smile off his face.

"And I know your mother's proud too—if terrified for you."

The young Hero-in-training poked his nose (thank god for Recovery Girl) before saying, "H-How is she?"

"Said she fainted seven times since the first event but is otherwise fine." Izuku chuckled, scratching his cheek—he certainly hadn't been making things easy on her.

He then asked, "What have I missed?"

"They're about to start the semi-final matches."

"What?! I've been asleep for that long?!"

"Hey," Toshinori chuckled, "Endeavor's kid got you good!" He pat his leg, "C'mon, time to get up! I'm sure your friend—the one with the glasses—will want your support." Izuku nodded, happy that Iida had made it through. He threw the blankets off of him and leapt to his feet.

Only to stumble into Toshinori as soon as he stood.

His mentor grabbed him by his shoulders with a booming laugh, "Take it easy! Trust me, you don't want to get yourself injured so soon again. Recovery Girl will have our heads!"

Izuku blinked, "Why your head?"

Toshinori leaned down, grinning impishly, "She's had it out for me for years! Calls me her worst patient. The number of times she's had to strap me to a bed to make sure I heal properly…" he trailed off, shaking his head with a smile. Izuku laughed at the mental image of a young Toshinori and Recovery Girl fighting over the healing process.

He leaned against the taller man, taking comfort in his warm, if thin, body. It was…relaxing.

It didn't last forever, though. Soon enough, Toshinori was patting his back, moving away from him. "This is where we part ways, I'm afraid. I've gotta head to the higher stands."

Izuku nodded, "I'll see you later."

"Right!" Toshinori looked around, and when he saw that no one was comings, took a deep breath, dramatically expanding his muscles mass. He turned around, but looked over his shoulder to say, "I'm proud of you, my boy," with a warm smile.

Izuku's heart leapt up to his throat, so he just nodded, beaming at the man. But once Toshinori disappeared from view, his mood dropped. Toshinori's word meant the world to him but…he'd have liked to do better.

He shook those thought from his head. He'd done his best; he couldn't have any regrets. Besides, he's managed to help Todoroki realize (or re-realize, considering the ease with which he wielded his fire powers) his true potential. _That_ was worth more than any old medal.

…But a medal still would've been nice.

Those warring thoughts in his head, he made his way back to the stands.

"Deku!" Izuku still felt the urge to flinch at the name, even if Uraraka never used it in the way he'd grown up hearing. He looked up, smiling as she waved him over. She was sitting next to Kaminari, who also waved.

"Midoriya!" the blonde exclaimed, "Good to see you! How's the nose?"

Izuku grinned, lightly pinching the body part. "It's fine."

Uraraka winced, "That's good. We could hear it crunch all the way up here."

Biting back a grimace, Izuku walked up to the railing, looking down at the empty field, "I know Iida and Todoroki passed, but who else did?"

Kaminari grunted, "Bakugo, obviously." Izuku nodded—that _was_ a given. "And Tokoyami." That…wasn't as much of a surprise as Izuku would have initially thought. The bird-headed boy hadn't made much of impression during classes, but he'd shone since the Sports Festival started. He'd won the Calvary Battle for them, after all.

"Midoriya?" a gruff voice called out. He turned around, blinking at the sight of a hunched over shirtless man, a large, yellow mask…thing covering his face, orange bangs just barely peeking out from under them. It took him a minute, but he realized that this man was the Pro-Hero Powerloader, the man in charge of U.A.'s support classes. He had no idea why he wanted to talk to him, though.

The Pro-Hero gestured to him with a clawed hand, "Come with me, please."

Izuku gulped, "Am…Am I in trouble?"

The man chuckled, "Far from it. Just follow me." Seeing no reason not to, Izuku did, waving goodbye to his friends.

They walked in silence, until Powerloader opened the door to one of the waiting rooms and said, "Head on in." Izuku did so, blinking upon seeing Ms. Midnight, Kirishima, Mina, and the Class 1-B girl, Shiozaki Ibara, sitting at a table. He quickly realized that they were all the ones that lost the previous round of fights.

"That's all of 'em, right?" Powerloader said as Izuku took the seat in between Shiozaki and Kirishima.

Ms. Midnight nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, Majima." Powerloader grunted, shutting the door as he left.

They all turned to Ms. Midnight, who sighed. She pursed her lips, drumming her fingers on the table, before finally saying, "…Iida Tenya has dropped out of the finals."

Her statement was met with wild, disbelieving exclamations from Izuku and his classmates (Shiozaki just widened her eyes) Kirishima being the loudest. "What?! Why would he do that?!"

Something flitted across Ms. Midnight's face, but all she said was, "That's not your concern."

"Why tell us, then?" Shiozaki finally spoke.

Ms. Midnight huffed, "It'd be one thing if he had dropped out before the final match, or even before the third-place match. But he hasn't, he dropped out before the semi-finals, and now we're down two matches for the tournament.

Izuku sucked in a breath. "You want one of us to fill in for him," he said. Loud exclamations filled the room. Ms. Midnight waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

"That's right," she nodded at him. "Let's be clear, none of you would get a chance to get anything higher than the bronze. Todoroki Shoto will automatically move ahead to the final match, but before that, one of you would fight either Tokoyami Fumikage or Bakugo Katsuki. If more than one of you wants a chance at that, you'll face each other in a sort of exhibition match before immediately moving onto the third-place match."

"Count me out," Mina immediately said. "Even if I managed to win against one of you three," she nodded at the rest of them, "I'd have to go on to fight either Bakugo or Tokoyami and," she shivered, "no, not happening."

"I'm out too," Kirishima grumbled right after, "Bakugo really did a number on me. I couldn't give anyone a good fight."

Izuku drew inward. Did he want to do this? He's lost to Todoroki, and Toshinori was already proud of him for what he'd done. He didn't have anything to prove. Except…he wanted the chance, to keep going. He could still fight. He _wanted_ to fight. He wanted to prove himself still. It might not have been fair (and he felt a little bad that the opportunity came about in light of Iida's strange, unexplained forfeit) but…he wasn't supposed to be in U.A. if not for a twist of fate anyway.

Before he could second-guess himself, Izuku said, "I'll do it."

"I'd like to as well," Shiozaki said, and she and Izuku exchanged a look. She'd come to a similar conclusion as him, no doubt.

Ms. Midnight nodded, "Alright! Thanks, kids, you're lifesavers!" She rose to her feet, smiling at them, "I'll let everyone know. Remember, whichever of you wins will immediately go on for the bronze, so get what rest you can now." With that, she left the room.

Izuku let out a breath as Kirishima and Mina grin at him. "Hey, good luck, man!" the former said.

"Yeah!" Mina pumped her fist, "Give 'em hell!" She then blinked, turning to Shiozaki, who was starring impassively at them. "Oh…uh…"

Thankfully, Shiozaki just chuckled, "It's fine." She rose to her feet, "I've got my own friends that'll root for me." She turned to Izuku, a determined frown overtaking her features, "…Good luck."

Izuku reciprocated the gesture with a nod, "Same to you."

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku ignored the mix of cheers and jeers sent his way as he and Shiozaki made their way to the field. Reactions were…varied when Ms. Midnight announced the new matches. He'd felt a chill run down his spine shortly after the announcement; a familiar, instinctive terror that told him Kacchan was _especially_ pissed (Izuku had no idea _why_ he would be. He was going to go for the gold, Izuku was just fighting for a chance to get third place).

But he couldn't find it in himself to care. An opportunity had presented itself, and Izuku was going to use it.

He made his way to the field for the third time that day, curling and uncurling his fingers as Shiozaki stopped opposite him. She had her hands clasped in front of her, face a blank mask. But the vines that made up her hair were wriggling to-and-fro, betraying her unease.

He didn't know a lot about her Quirk. One of the few things he did know—the most worrying thing—was that there appeared to be no limit to how long the vines coming out of her head could grow. Uraraka and Kaminari had told him that Iida used his superior speed to outmaneuver her, but Izuku was not that fast. He was strong, though. Very strong. If he could get enough of her hair in his hands, he would probably be to able physically throw her out of the ring. Oh, but wait, would the whiplash hurt her? Was she protected from such things? Izuku bit back a curse; he couldn't risk it. He'd have to think of something else.

Ms. Midnight started the countdown, and Izuku forced himself to take a deep breath.

"Begin!" Ms. Midnight shouted.

Izuku exhaled, One for All—ten percent of it—coursing through his veins. Just in time, as Shiozaki's hair cracked forward like a dozen whips. Izuku ducked down, reaching his hands up and grabbing some vines in his hands. The thorns sticking out of the vines stung but didn't break the skin. He pulled, and Shiozaki stumbled—but then the vines tried to wrap around his hands.

He pulled back with growl, deciding to go for ranged attacks. "Smash!" he shouted, slamming his fists into the ground and pulling up concrete. He hurled the stone at her, but Shiozaki just shifted her vines around, forming a shield that blocked everything his sent her way. She even hurled some back at him.

But while Izuku was trying to come up with a new strategy, Shiozaki had been implementing hers.

Izuku hopped to his left to avoid a piece of thrown rubble, only to cry out as he was lifted into the air by his ankles. His arms were wrapped up as well, and he could feel the vines rear back, no doubt in preparation to thrown him out of the ring.

Thinking fast, Izuku latched onto the vines holding his arms, biting back a yell when they whipped him. Looking down, he could see Shiozaki glared at him, and more vines wrapped around his limbs. Izuku, in response, called on more of One for All—fifteen percent—putting his all into keeping his body from moving, to pulling himself free. But he couldn't, and eventually, Shiozaki just started wrapping him in a cocoon like she had Kaminari.

He pulled as hard as he could, but the vines wouldn't budge. They wouldn't tear like that, they had to be cut. But how? A vine attached itself to his forehead, trying to pull him back. He grit his teeth, keeping his head in place. Wait…his teeth! Those could cut things! Especially when his entire body was powered up with One for All. At least, he hoped so.

Not wasting another second, he moved his head and left arm closer together. He bit at the air a couple times, before clamping down on the vines wrapped around his arm. He wrenched his head back, letting out a triumphant, if muffled, shout when vines tore off with the action (they tasted like spinach, oddly enough).

The vines stopped moving, and the entire stadium seemed to still. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Shiozaki was staring at him, jaw dropped open.

He wasted no more time, gnawing through the vines like a deranged beaver. He'd free his arms by the time Shiozaki regained her senses, but she was too slow in her reattempt at binding him, and he got his legs free, falling to the ground.

Rearing his arms back, he roared, "Smash!", slamming his fists into the field. They trembled from the impact, but the concrete still broke apart in an instant, Shiozaki letting out a startled cry as she was forced to a stumble.

Seeing his chance, Izuku burst forward, leaping across the broken field and grabbing Shiozaki's left arm, hurling her out of the ring.

He released One for All when she slammed to the ground, resisting the urge to buckle his knees.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku was pretty sure he was becoming Cementoss's least favorite person, given the stink-eye he sent Izuku as he was recreating the field once again.

He might have felt more self-conscious about it if his jaw wasn't so sore. Maybe that could be his special move—biting things.

"Midoriya," Izuku turned, blinking upon seeing Tokoyami walk up to him. "I'm glad to get the chance to speak before our match." At Izuku's nod, he continued, "In truth, I'm a little anxious. I would not be here if not for you, and now you stand between me and third place." He tilted his head (looking even more bird-like than usual), "And yet…I'm excited for the chance to battle you. I expect it to be a thrilling match." Izuku smiled and nodded. Tokoyami frowned, "Are you alright? You're usually a bit more talkative."

Izuku blushed, rubbing his jaw and saying, "Jaw hurts a bit."

Tokoyami blushed, intensifying the young Hero-in-training's blush, "Ah, yes, you're rather…unorthodox strategy. I must ask, please don't bite Dark Shadow. I don't it'll be a pleasant experience for…any of us."

Izuku managed a laugh, "No promises." Tokoyami chuckled in turn, and Izuku thought he could hear grumbling from his midsection.

Then, finally, they were called for their match.

"Good luck," Tokoyami said as they walked out.

"You too," Izuku nodded with a determined frown.

When they made it to the field, Izuku looked up at the sky. No clouds, but the sun was starting to set. The shadows of the stadium were creeping onto the field, and Izuku knew he had to be quick. If Tokoyami were allowed to make use of the shadows, Dark Shadow would be unbeatable.

Ms. Midnight started the countdown, and Izuku took a deep breath.

"Begin!"

Izuku summoned One for All, biting back a curse when his body protested going above twelve percent—he'd pushed himself more than he'd thought. Twelve percent would have to do.

Tokoyami grunted, Dark Shadow appearing within the blink of an eye. It covered the distance between Tokoyami and Izuku in seconds, shadowy claws reared back. Izuku braced, barely moving an inch when Dark Shadow slammed into him. He countered with a swift uppercut, sending the semi-living Quirk flying back to Tokoyami. The bird-headed boy just narrowed his eyes as Dark Shadow returned to him, claws outstretched.

Izuku huffed, recognizing that this would be a waiting game. Thus (pointedly not looking in Cementoss's direction) he stomped a One for All powered foot on the ground, cracking the concrete.

He bent down, grabbing a chunk and hurling it at Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. The sentient Quirk was quick to bat away any projectiles that got too close, not even bothering to try and return Izuku's thrown projectiles. But Tokoyami got impatient, and sent Dark Shadow rushing forward to attack Izuku once more.

Izuku jerked back, but a plan came to life in his mind. He sucked in a deep breath, and when Dark Shadow was just feet away, crushed the concrete in his hands and exhaled with all his might—even upping the percentage of One for All he used (to fifteen percent) to make the air in his lungs come out stronger—sending the powderized rubble straight into Dark Shadow's 'face'.

The living Quirk squawked, halting its approach in favor of swatting the dust away. Izuku burst forward, and Tokoyami cursed, prepared to dodge.

But Izuku didn't rush to face him, instead, he grabbed onto the shadowy cable that connected Tokoyami and Dark Shadow and pulled.

Tokoyami gasped but was unable to keep himself from flying forward. When he got close enough, Izuku grabbed him by his feet, whirling around a couple times before hurling Tokoyami out of the ring.

Dark Shadow had recovered by then, and sunk a claw into the ground, the other grabbing their physical connection and pulling Tokoyami towards him. Tokoyami righted in the air, aiming towards to ground and landing on his feet.

A foot outside of the ring.

Ms. Midnight called the match, and Izuku smiled, releasing his hold on One for All. A mistake, because the minute he did, pain wracked his body, and his vision was overtaken by darkness.

/+/+/+/+/

Izuku woke up to find Recovery Girl glaring at him. The elderly healer huffed, poking his chest, "This isn't your personal room. Keep passing out and I'm going to start charging you rent." Then, she smiled, and pat his cheek, "But good job. You really gave it your all out there." Izuku blushed, looking down and twiddling his thumbs.

There was a knock on the door, and Recovery Girl turned to it with a scowl. "Keep your pants on! He just woke up!" She walked over to it, muttering beneath her breath. She opened to door to reveal Toshinori. She huffed, stepping aside to let him into the small room.

Toshinori flinched when she turned a critical at him. But instead of tapping his shin with her cane or berating him, she just smiled and said, "You've found yourself a really special boy."

Izuku, already blushing, was sure he looked like a tomato when Toshinori said, voice full of warmth, "I know." Recovery Girl nodded, closing the door behind her as she left them alone.

Toshinori sighed, sitting down next to Izuku's bed. He chuckled, "My boy, you certainly know how to Plus Ultra." He reached over, clasping a hand on Izuku's shoulder, "You've gone above and beyond what I expected of you."

Izuku smiled, looking down, "Well, I didn't do it for you." He then gasped, shooting his head up and waving his hands in front of him, "Not that I don't appreciate you! Or want to make you proud! You've done so much for me and I could never pay your back in a million years and I—"

Toshinori chuckled, cutting him off. "I get it. There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish."

Izuku licked his lips, "There's not?"

"No," his mentor shook his head "you're still young, after all. You can afford to show off a bit to the world." His mood darkened a touch, "Especially after…you know…"

The young man nodded. He couldn't lie, it felt good. Proving the world wrong in his own, small way. Proving that even a 'Deku' could make his mark—even if he needed a little help along the way.

"In any case," Toshinori stood up, "I just wanted to see you before we handed out the medals—can't exactly do this in public."

Izuku blinked, "Do wha—" only squeak as Toshinori bent down, wrapping him up and a hug. Izuku stammered a bit, blushing up a storm, but relaxed, slowly reciprocating the gesture.

Soon—too soon—Toshinori pulled away a bit, a wide smile on his face. "I'm so, so proud of you."

Izuku felt tears in his eyes, and didn't trust himself to speak, so he just nodded.

Toshinori released Izuku, rising back to his full height. "Well, I've got to get ready for the reward ceremony."

"Wait, the final match is over?"

Toshinori nodded, "Todoroki won." Izuku blanched—Kacchan couldn't have been happy about that. But he didn't let that put a damper on his good mood. "Oh, and could you swing over to U.A. before heading home? Not only to avoid the crowds, but well, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Izuku blinked, but nodded nonetheless, "Great! The ceremony's in about twenty minutes." That said, Toshinori smiled at him once more, and exited the room.

Izuku just laid back on his bed, smiling without a care in the world.

/+/+/+/+/

The ceremony went off without a hitch (not even Kacchan's murderous glares could've ruined it).

Izuku was waiting for the buses that would take some of the students back to U.A.—most wouldn't, they were heading home immediately, but Toshinori asked him to, so he would.

"Midoriya!" Izuku blinked, looking up to see Todoroki jogging over to him, a wide smile on his face, his gold medal shining in the setting sun. Todoroki nodded as he stopped before him, "Glad I caught you before we left."

A nod. "How…How are you?"

Todoroki sighed, tilting his head to the sky, "Better than I've been in months." He looked back down, fixing Izuku with a smile so warm and soft that he started to blush, "Thank you. You didn't have to say those things."

Izuku gulped, "W-Well I wanted to. You needed help, and I wanted to provide it."

"Very All Might of you," Todoroki intoned. Izuku blushed deeper. "Like father like son, I suppose."

Izuku froze, brain stalling. "…What?"

"You're a lot like him," Todoroki crossed his arms, "so much so that I'm surprised it's taken me this long to figure it out."

Izuku fervently shook his head, "We're not—he's not—I'm not—!"

"I get it," Todoroki held up a hand. "You're hiding it from people. My father waited until I was ten before going out with the rest of us without some sort of disguise—how people never figured out he was is beyond me," he mumbled with a short laugh. "I can only imagine the kind of hell being related to the Number One Hero would bring." Izuku was left spluttering, unable to come up with any rational response to Todoroki's absurd claims.

"Shoto!" a young, feminine voice called to their left.

Todoroki nodded, "That's my sister, gotta go! See you in class." He smiled once more, before turning on his heel, leaving Izuku and his bewildered thoughts behind.

Izuku stood stock-still while his brain rebooted itself. When it did, he just shook his head, pushing Todoroki's bizarre claims to the depths of his mind (even if the thought of being Toshinori's son made him feel all fuzzy inside).

/+/+/+/+/

**A/N: So, in an earlier story (Solving Problems) I wrote that Izuku won the bronze. I thought it was just a simple matter of sending Iida home early, but (like the rest of the world) I forgot that Class 1-B exists. But it all worked out in the end, I think. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


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